Strategy & Planning

Almond Tree Strategic Consulting helps charities and social enterprises to develop their strategic plans and prepare business plans. We can also help you with implementation planning.

Strategy and Planning

Every organisation needs a strategy; to know how you plan to develop in the future. What are your aims and objectives, the services you’ll provide, the income/funding you’ll need and how you’ll deploy your resources and assets? Equally you’ll need to be clear about what you won’t do or what you might stop doing in the future.

getting the right strategy

We can support to identify and explore your options, drawing out what you already know, sharing ideas from other similar (and not so similar) contexts and challenging your preconceptions.

Business planning

Once you are clear about your strategy, we can help you prepare your business plan. Our approach is that of collaborator and critical friend. We see business planning as more of a process of exploration and agreement than the production of a weighty document.

Implementation planning

We can also help you develop detailed implementation plans to accompany these top-level plans and we can even help you to project manage their delivery.

All strategies and plans need to be practical and to communicate what you intend to do in a concise and compelling way. This is why the documents we produce are short and clear, while covering everything you need.

If you'd like to find out more about how we can help your charity or social enterprise please get in touch.

CCS first engaged the services of Almond Tree Strategic Consulting Ltd in Autumn 2015. Julian’s areas of expertise are many and varied – supporting CCS with strategic planning/development and bid/tender writing (to the tune of almost £1.4m). He is a critical friend, offers insightful and relevant commentary and his understanding of the sector is second to none. It is an absolute privilege to work with Julian.

— Keeley Rudd, Chief Executive, Community Council for Somerset

Julian has supported our organisation through substantive change and growth through 3 mergers, acting as a critical friend. He has been both innovative and inspirational at planning events for my workforce and Trustees. Julian works to high standards, but more importantly understands our sector and challenges. Overall he gets the job done.

— Tracy Rudling, Chief Executive, Community360

We have worked with Julian to develop our new business and implementation plan. He is a true professional, reliable, committed and dedicated. In a very short time he became fully conversant with the complexity of Southern Brooks. Through his professional networks he was able to introduce us to projects across the country. His faciliation has transformed Southern Brooks. We have a new leadership team and organisational structure which will ensure we are able to respond to opportunities and challenges over the next 5 years.

— Julie Close, Director, Southern Brooks Community Partnerships

Julian Lomas of Almond Tree Strategic Consulting has twice advised us on our strategy and business planning. Each time we have been very pleased with the results, which really helped us to move our organisation forward during a challenging time for the voluntary sector. I value Julian’s enthusiasm and creativity, as well as his reliability and attention to detail. His knowledge of other CVSs and the ‘infrastructure’ sector as a whole has also been of great benefit.

— Chris Barrett, Chair, Council for Voluntary Service Uttlesford

Commissioning Almond Tree Strategic Consulting to undertake a strategic review, analyse and challenge the national association’s aims, objectives, direction and structure was thought-provoking and stimulating for the charity’s Trustees. Julian’s instant engagement with the Trustees and Executives and his delivered knowledge and professionalism encouraged organisational restructuring, reinvigorated the association with passion, transparency and the long term direction needed. The Trustees would have no hesitation in recommending or working with Almond Tree Strategic Consulting in the future.

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